Black Country law firm Higgs & Sons has strengthened its team by taking on six new trainees.

Hannah Bollard, Sarah Bryan, Natalie Marsden, Mike Wong, Patrick O'Connor and Iyanu Onalaja are the latest recruits to the Brierley Hill firm's training programme.

More than half of the firm's existing partners were trained in-house.

Ms Bollard joins having worked previously at Berussi and Co Solicitors while Ms Bryan was previously a Paralegal at HCB Solicitors.

She studied at the University of Birmingham and completed her Legal Practice Course (LPC) at the University of Law in 2012.

Ms Marsden was formerly at the charity LawWorks, having completed her law degree in 2008.

In the intervening years, she worked in a number of roles, from waitress to paralegal with some travel to South America in between.

Mr Wong's previous places of work include Howes Percival, Swarovski and Tucker's.

He finished his law degree at the University of Manchester in 2012 followed by the LPC, completing this in June.

Ms Onalaja joins Higgs having also completed her LPC this year. As a student, she gained experience at Pinsent Masons, Lodders and Williamson and Soden Solicitors.

HR director Joanna Parker said: "As we continue to grow and develop as a firm, our trainee programme is instrumental in our determination to deliver a combination of the very best legal services and client care.

"We welcome Mike, Hannah, Sarah, Iyanu, Patrick and Natalie as they begin their careers with us and I look forward to seeing how they develop as professionals."